Hiding
by Reclaimer
Summary: Two sisters meet to discuss the future.


"Hiding… always hiding…" Millia stands on a balcony overlooking the dimly lit Drag in the sprawling Orc city of Orgrimmar. The Drag is always bathed in shadows; Millia isn't sure if the architecture is built to blot out the sun, or if the demon-wielding Orc warlocks' power drives the sun from the street. Millia shivers in the shade, deciding that, perhaps the reason is a combination of both factors.

A small, scrawny white kitten mews at the petite Sin'dorei priestess's feet. Millia smiles down at her dear little pet. She stoops to scoop the kitty into her arms, nuzzling the animal close and looking out over the street. Millia whispers to the cat, "Cassandra said she'd come quickly… she said that she's discovered a new place for us to hide."

In all truthfulness, Millia has been hiding for weeks. Months, even. Millia prays, "Surely it hasn't been years…"

As unusual as the fact may be, Millia is wanted by the Blood Knights; by Knight-Lord Bloodvalor, to be more specific. He's hired out assassins to capture the priestess and to kill Caname… for no reason that Millia can recount. However, Millia does admit that there are many things that she doesn't understand.

Millia's kitty mews, squirming against the girl's hands. Millia smiles and gently places the kitten on floor. "You must be hungry, kitty… I think I have some food for you." The priestess rummages in one her bags resting against the railing of the balcony. She makes a small sound of discovery as she produces a small sunfish, recently prepared, preserved and wrapped in a clean piece of silk cloth. "There you are, little one." Millia spreads the cloth out on the ground so the kitten may eat her fill. The white kitten contentedly purrs in delight, nibbling away at her seafood meal.

Millia sighs, standing and leaning on the railing of the balcony. Cassandra should be here at any moment, but the only people Millia can see on the street are a female Orc vendor, silently advertising her wares to the occasional passerby, and a Sin'dorei riding down the street astride a large, red hawkstrider. Millia rests her chin in her hands, her elbows resting upon the railing of the balcony. She begins to hum a soft mantra to herself, not clearly enunciating the words that form the basis of her life: "Love is patient, Love is kind, Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. Love never fails…"

A slight tap on the shoulder causes Millia to jump, whirling about in surprise with a startled squeak. "Eep!"

Cassandra du Soleil, Millia's elder sister, smiles down at her sister. "It's me, Milli. Good to see you." Cassandra shakes her curled, chestnut locks loose as she removes an ebon mask.

"Sister!" Millia leaps to hug Cassandra. "I'm so happy you're here!"

Cassandra catches Millia, chuckling softly. Her leather armor creaks softly from the embrace, for Cassandra is a rogue. Her daggers hang loosely in their sheaths and her eyes glow with keen awareness, even in this brief moment of joviality. "Yes, yes… I'm happy to see you too. And, I see you've found a friend." Cassandra gestures to Millia's white kitten.

"Yes! I found her in the Needles."

"Very nice. Listen, Milli… I received your letter. We need to get you out of here as soon as possible; I'm not satisfied with your hiding place. How many are after you?"

Millia leans away from her sister, looking the rogue in the eye. "Well… I can think of two."

"There are more than that."

Millia sighs. "I know…"

"Tell me the names of the two you know of." Cassandra's eyes are unreadable, a trait of skilled assassins.

Millia doesn't know of that particular trait. She looks up into the unreadable eyes of her sister, her own eyes wide and filled with dependant innocence. "Um… H-hainora is one…"

Cassandra's eyes flash, her voice is laced with the promise of death. "Hainora? Has she attacked you?"

Millia is frightened by her sister's sudden change. Her voice is a soft whisper, "Um… y-yes, at Freewind Post. Sh-she said that she wanted to k-kill us, but not to hurt us… I didn't…"

"Did she mention about how she planned to -kill- you without -hurting- you?" Cassandra's voice is laced with dangerous sarcasm.

"N-no…" Millia isn't sure what she's supposed to say.

"Consider her dead, Milli."

Millia's eyes widen in shocked surprise. "Wh-wha…?"

"You heard me. What's the name of the other assassin that you've encountered?"

"Um… R-rand Taulindil."

"What does he look like?"

"W-well, h-he's… um…"

Cassandra snaps impatiently. "Spit it out, Millia!"

Millia jumps in surprise, "Eep! He's a little taller than you, with long black hair that's parted in the center, and he walks around with a big Voidwalker…"

Cassandra puts her hands on Millia's shoulders, her voice gentle and more patient. "Milli… slow down, I didn't mean to shout."

"H-he… he's evil, sister. If… if you find him…" Millia lowers her gaze, ashamed of what she's about to ask. Her voice is a slight whisper. "Don't let him escape… please."

Cassandra blinks in surprise, but her voice doesn't betray it. "Alright." She lowers her hands from Millia's shoulders. "Consider him gone too, Milli. Consider anyone who's bothering you dead from this moment on."

"E-everyone…? Wh-what about the ones who… who don't know that what they're doing is wrong?" Millia, being a healing priestess, doesn't wish to waste lives, despite her current situation.

"I don't know of any other way to deal with it. I'm an assassin myself, Millia. This is how we deal with trouble; we kill it. Dead men don't cause much trouble." Cassandra has adopted her neutral visage once again, her voice even and emotionless.

Millia swallows, unable to sense any emotion whatsoever from her sister. The forced emptiness is unnerving; Millia is silently thankful to have her sister as an ally. She does not press the issue any further, no matter her dislike for the situation.

Cassandra's gaze gains some inkling of softness. "Anyway, we need to get moving. What do you have in the manner of supplies?"

Millia turns away from Cassandra, kneeling to inspect her bags as she goes over the list of supplies she generally carries. "Um… let's see, I have three blankets, about three days worth of preserved food, almost four days worth of water…"

"And… you carry all of that by yourself?"

Millia blinks. "Well… yes! Why?"

"No reason." Cassandra rests her fists on her hips. "Let's get a little more food and water, and maybe a little firewood. I'll help you carry everything."

"Where is it that you're sending me?"

"Freewind Post. I have a friend who will hide you where no one will look."


End file.
